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Delta

The Board of County Commissioners has asked the Bureau of Land Management to extend the time for making comments on a proposed national rule change that would affect the agency's definition of "multiple use."

The commissioners approved a letter to Neil Kornze, BLM director, asking for a 120-day extension for comments on the BLM's draft planning rule. The original deadline for comments was April 25.

Daily, the Delta Family Resource Center aims to strengthen the families of Delta County by providing multiple programs, resources and educational services -- striving to "make a difference one family at a time."

This month and throughout the year, the Delta Family Center would like to encourage all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Delta County a better place for children and families.

A civil suit has been filed against the City of Delta and the Delta Police Department, alleging the city has a policy and practice of permitting automobiles to be seized and sold and benefitting from their sale without proper procedure.

The suit was filed by Grand Junction residents Sosha Trujillo and her mother, Terrie Johnson, who claim their 2004 Jaguar automobile was improperly impounded and subsequently sold. Named as defendants are DPD officers Robert Thomas (former chief), Rdean Young and Jesse Cox.

Cedaredge area businessman Mark Eckhart has filed the necessary paperwork with the Colorado secretary of state's office and is listed as an unaffiliated candidate for county commissioner in the Delta County District 2 race.

A day of mediation has been set in an attempt to settle a dispute between the City of Delta and Stantec, the firm that designed the alternate truck route. The city alleges that design flaws caused construction costs to escalate and is seeking damages through a civil complaint.

Senior CommUnity meals are served at four dining sites in Delta County -- Cedaredge Community Center (Monday-Thursday), Delta Community Center (Monday-Friday), Hotchkiss Senior Center (Monday-Thursday) and Paonia Senior Citizen Center (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Meals on Wheels are also delivered from each location.

Thanks to a tip from a horn-buying business in Grand Junction, and subsequent followup by the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, investigators from the Delta County Sheriff's Office were quickly able to solve a theft from a taxidermy business in Paonia.

On March 23, at about 9 a.m., the sheriff's office was notified of a burglary at 530 Grand Avenue in Paonia.

The seasons control many schedules as people living in Colorado adjust to cold and hot extremes, snow, mud, wind and more. Some seasonal activities are obvious and expected, like skiing, gardening and boating.

The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association has started to divert water from the Uncompahgre River into the Montrose-Delta Canal. The association began diverting water in the Ironstone Canal on March 25, and from the Gunnison River through the Gunnison Tunnel on March 28.

Opinion

Whether by design or chance, it is quite appropriate for the school district administration to have chosen April 1 (All Fools Day) as the date to begin allowing the atheist/satanist coalition to begin displaying their literature in the local schools.

After reading the feature article "Atheists force 50J to defend open forum," that appeared on the front page of the DCI of March 23, I wish to make this comment. This is especially directed to those who profess to be members of the Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers organization and "atheists" in general.

Helen West believes the only people who can call Hotchkiss "our town" or the North Fork Valley "our valley" are those who were born and raised here. Her letter wasn't quite clear about the required number of generations to authenticate membership, but it sounded like at least two or three.

I want to start by saying I have no personal animosity towards Sheriff McKee or the Delta County Sheriff's Office. This letter could be addressed to any sheriff in the U.S. Sheriff McKee just happens to be the sheriff in the state and county where I live.

The current assault on the Delta County School District by Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers certainly is truly "nothing new under the sun." The effort to discredit Jesus Christ continues to fail, as well-documented in the book, "The Case for Christ" by author Lee Strobel, with a master's degree from Yale Law School, an award-winning journalist for 13 years at the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers -- with a background of atheism.

The Delta County Libraries offer many educational and entertaining activities and events for you and your family to enjoy. If you want to know what else your library is offering, please contact the library or visit the Delta County Libraries website at www.deltalibraries.org.

Community

Maranda Fraze and Dane McNeese of Delta are the parents of a son, Rylan Scott McNeese, born March 20, 2016, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 18.25 inches in length.

A group of young fly-fishing enthusiasts have banded together to establish a fly-fishing club at Delta High School. The club has 12 members, including two females, and is headed by Pete Lousignont, club president, and Matthew Bohling, vice president.

Missives mailed to voters by two political adversaries and Paonia town board candidates have left many voters wondering what information is true and what isn't, and have further divided the two candidates, who have sparred for several months.

It began when trustee candidate Bill Brunner sent a political mailing to registered voters, criticizing the board and town management on five points:

If you waited until the last minute to mail your election ballot, there's still hope. In the North Fork area there are two locations where ballots may be dropped off by no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.

In Paonia, a small family farm is adding onto its educational programs in an exciting way. With the growing interest in agri-tourism, the Living Farm has created the Interactive Farm Tour. This self-guided tour allows for anyone to explore a working farm in a unique hands-on experience.

The gazebo and stage at Paonia Town Park now has an official name. At the March 22 town meeting the Paonia board of trustees voted unanimously to approve the re-naming of the gazebo in honor of Howard Berkman, a staple of the local music scene until his untimely death on Oct. 31, 2011.

Anna Burns-Meza, a 2001 graduate of Paonia High School, has been named the 2016 Colorado Manager of the Year by the Colorado School Nutrition Association. She will be recognized at the annual summer conference of CSNA in June.

Neal Schwieterman believes that society works best when people give back to their community. For him, giving back to Paonia, where he moved to seek a more peaceful place for his family, has meant almost 12 years of service to the Paonia Board of Trustees.

Rob Miller of Pickin' Productions was drumming up sponsors for the 2016 Pickin' in the Park concert series in Paonia and the Ridgway Concert Series. When asked for a list of this year's acts, he cheerfully replied that he'll be making a formal announcement soon.

With the exception of a little bit of cleanup work, the upper Lamborn Mesa Water Treatment Plant Improvements Project is complete and the plant is online. At a March 25 special meeting, the Paonia Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution accepting completion of the facility, and approving final payments to contractors.

Surface Creek

The Cedaredge town trustees have taken steps to enter the restaurant business, albeit hopefully in a limited way. The new town enterprise is serving the food and beverage needs of those using the Cedaredge Golf Course.